Don't use text short codes (says Advertising group 1: Neil, Christa, E-man, and myself)
From an industry stand-point, text short codes are a way for cell phone users to connect with different types of media. From a short code user’s stand-point, it's a fun thing to do. Coming from a group of Cre Comm students who thoroughly researched the issue, it is an industry designed to deceive its consumers.
When our group first looked into researching text short codes we realized there was a good chance we could find something misleading about it. The actual advertisements for these short codes really gave it away. We talked about how the advertisements are usually very busy, and quite distracting. It’s good advertising; however, the fine print contains the most important information: the financial terms. Often, people message a short code and don’t think anything of it. In reality, anytime you text a short code, you pay a small fee and you are also being billed monthly.
Text short codes are a small number that people can text to in order to vote for the next American Idol, see the “joke of the day”, win a new iphone, or acquire information about the weather. They appear in commercials, on billboards, on the internet, and even on gum wrappers.
Our goals in this “Buyer Beware” assignment were to explore how text short code companies mislead their customers by not clearly showing the subscription fees and extra costs. We went about this by researching the rules and regulations pertaining to the mobile industry, finding out about short code scams, experimenting with short codes by trying them out, and surveying the demographic that short code companies advertise to.
Neil, the greatest group member, looked into the rules that are supposed to regulate the mobile industry. The association that is in charge of this procedure is called the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). They say that applicants of the short codes must have an opt-out option, and that all unsolicited messages are a violation of the agreement.
Short code advertisements always do have an opt-out option, but the CWTA’s regulations only extend so far. Companies provide the opt-out option, but the option is written in the fine print that which is hidden so well.
This was one of the short code case studies that E-man, the coolest group member, had conducted:
The fine print is obviously very small and in it contains important information about what you need to do to stop the subscription with this service. This service actually sends your daily horoscope to your phone, which is a situation where you get charged daily for the one time you wanted to see who your celebrity soul mate was. How many teenagers you know would read this fine print?
Christa, the prettiest group member, did research on exactly this by sending a survey via her sister to junior high students. This survey indicated that close to 50% of the students do not read the fine print, or even believe there are additional charges with short code services! Close to half of the students have used the service at least once. Teenagers are naïve, and so often they are the best demographic to market towards, because they don’t know any better, or might not care.
The CWTA indicates that unsolicited messages are a violation of the agreement. I was in charge of researching text short code scams. I found one such instance that happened in Canada where a man received an unsolicited message that read, “I fancy you.” The message continued in urging the recipient to find out who the mystery caller was by calling a premium rate number. This was act was a direct violation of the agreement, and this caller paid mega dollars for this unnecessary phone call.
Aside from the fact that text short code services are extremely useless, people shouldn’t use them because they are a sketchy service that is repeatedly laced with hidden costs and fees. If short codes are your thing, READ THE FINE PRINT.
Beware,
jon
